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Apologetics

"I won't bend and I won't break
I won't water down my faith
I won't compromise in a world of desperation
What has been I cannot change
But for tomorrow and today
I must be a light for future generations"

- 4HIM, "For Future Generations"

Because of our goal of helping one another grow in our faith, CSF has always placed a strong emphasis on Catholic teaching and adherence to the standards of the Catholic Church. An understanding of and devotion to the teachings of the Church is vital to the faith of all Catholics, and sadly these teachings are often misunderstood and misrepresented. Thus, this page has been created to help Catholics and non-Catholics alike understand what the Church's official position is on various issues. We will be adding to this page regularly, so please come back often. If this page fails to cover a topic you are interested in, you can find several links in our Off-Site links page that will take you to pages that may have what you're looking for. And as always, if you have any questions or suggestions for what should be added to this page, feel free to contact us.

PAPAL ENCYCLICAL COLLECTIONS

• Blessed Gregory X (1271 - 1276) - contains 1 Encyclical
• John XXII (1316 - 1334) - contains 1 Encyclical
• Leo X (1513 - 1521) - no Encyclicals, but contains the Papal Bull officially denouncing Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation
• Paul III (1534 - 1549) - contains 1 Encyclical
• St. Pius V (1566 - 1572) - contains 1 Encyclical
• Blessed Innocent XI (1676 - 1689) - contains 1 Encyclical
• Benedict XIV (1740 - 1758) - contains 13 Encyclicals
• Clement XIII (1758 - 1769) - contains 6 Encyclicals
• Clement XIV (1769 - 1774) - contains 4 Encyclicals
• Pius VI (1775 - 1799) - contains 2 Encyclicals
• Pius VII (1800 - 1823) - contains 1 Encyclical
• Leo XII (1823 - 1829) - contains 3 Encyclicals
• Pius VIII (1829 - 1830) - contains 1 Encyclical
• Gregory XVI (1831 - 1846) - contains 10 Encyclicals
• Blessed Pius IX (1846 - 1878) - contains 39 Encyclicals
• Leo XIII (1878 - 1903) - contains 86 Encyclicals
• Saint Pius X (1903 - 1914) - contains 16 Encyclicals
• Benedict XV (1914 - 1922) - contains 12 Encyclicals
• Pius XI (1922 - 1939) - contains 24 Encyclicals
• Pius XII (1939 - 1958) - contains 38 Encyclicals
• Blessed John XXIII (1958 - 1963) - contains 8 Encyclicals
• Paul VI (1963 - 1978) - contains 7 Encyclicals
• John Paul II (1978 - present) - contains 13 Encyclicals

APOLOGETICS TOPICS

ON MATTERS OF AUTHORITY

• The Authority of the Pope - Part 1, Part 2
• Papal Infallibility
• Peter the Rock
• The Primacy of Peter
• Peter and the Papacy
• Peter's Successors
• Apostolic Succession
• What's Your Authority For That?
• Natural Law (an article taken from Catholic Encyclopedia Online)
• Unam Sanctam - One God, One Faith, One Spiritual Authority (Papal Bull issued on November 8, 1302, by Boniface VIII; the link is from Papal Encyclicals Online)

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADITION

• Scripture and Tradition
• Apostolic Tradition

ON PRO-LIFE ISSUES

• Abortion
• Birth Control and Contraception and Sterilization
• Evangelium Vitae - (An Encyclical Letter on the Value and Inviolability of Human Life by Pope John Paul II)
• Cathechism of the Church regarding the Respect for Human Life
• Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics (A Statement by the Catholic Bishops of the United States)

ON SACRAMENTAL MATTERS

• Infant Baptism
• Baptismal Grace
• Confirmation
• Christ in the Eucharist
• The Real Presence
• Confession (also known as Penance or Reconciliation)
• Forgiveness of Sins
• Anointing of the Sick
• Bishop, Priest, Deacon (the sacrament of Holy Orders)
• Permanence of Matrimony
• Biblical Defense of the Eucharist

ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE SACRED MASS

• GIRM (The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, from the Christus Rex website)
• Dominicae Cenae (On The Mystery And Worship Of The Eucharist) - A letter by Pope John Paul II, taken from the Adoremus website.
• Instruction on Music in the Liturgy - A letter by Pope Paul VI, also taken from the Adoremus website.
• Vatican Norms for the Translation of Biblical Texts for Use in the Liturgy (Adoremus.org)
• To kneel or not to kneel (Adoremus.org)
• Every Knee Should Bow - But When? (Adoremus.org)
• Adoremus Statement on Gather Faithfully Together - A commentary on a very controversial pastoral letter that encourages unwarranted changes in liturgical practices.

ON CONTROVERSIAL MATTERS AND DISSENT

• What the Summa Theologica says regarding Just War - Webmaster's note: The 13th century writings of St. Thomas Aquinas were highly instrumental in defining and clarifying the doctrines and truths of the Catholic faith. However, there are many today who say that his opinions on many issues are outdated. This is not true for two important reasons: 1) as the Church has consistently maintained, truth and morality are absolute, and therefore can never be outdated; and 2) Aquinas didn't limit himself to writing about contemporary issues (as evidenced by the fact that he drew heavily from the writings of Aristotle, who died some 1500 years before Aquinas was even born). Like Sacred Scripture, these writings are as pertinent today as they were the day they were written, and Aquinas' writings regarding the entering into and waging of a just war are no exception.
• "Conditions of a Just War" - by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
• Humani Generis - An Encyclical by Pope Pius XII Concerning Some False Opinions Threatening to Undermine the Foundations of Catholic Doctrine
• The Syllabus of Errors Condemned by Pope Blessed Pius IX - compiled by Blessed Pius IX in 1864
• Index of dissenters - This is a comprehensive list of groups and individuals who claim to be Catholic yet advocate ideas which contradict and undermine the Church's magisterial teachings. It also has links to official Vatican condemnations of certain writers and ideologies, as well as a reference guide for how to recognize dissenters and the ideologies which they represent. (from the Our Lady's Warriors website)
• A 1994 statement by Pope John Paul II on why the Church cannot ordain women priests. (from the EWTN website)
• Can Dogma Develop?

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